Protecting the people we serve

Dear Friends and Supporters of SCIAF,

We believe in creating a better world, in which everyone is safe and treated with respect. 

We welcome the UK International Development Committee report on sexual exploitation and, although SCIAF is not mentioned or implicated in any way, we are committed to learning from it and ensuring the best possible protection of the people we serve.

The nature of our work demands that we help extremely vulnerable people, often victims of war, natural disasters and poverty, in extremely challenging conditions, and we’re committed to serving them as sensitively as possible. Supporters can be confident that SCIAF has a strong culture of safeguarding and robust policies and procedures in place that guide our work, and regularly trains staff to make sure they know what is expected of them.

As a sector, all aid organisations need to look at what more we can do. We welcome the recommendations in the report to improve structures that help identify, manage and prevent unacceptable behaviour by individuals, such as an international system for background checks on staff and better ways for the people we serve to raise concerns. 

We look forward to working with government and others to ensure those we serve get the help, care, and protection they need at every step.

Whilst taking care of the safety and wellbeing of the people we work with is of paramount importance, we should not lose sight of the immense difference that SCIAF and the international development community make every year to help millions of people escape dehumanising levels of poverty and live dignified lives.

Your continued support is deeply appreciated.   

Yours sincerely,

Alistair Dutton, Director